‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Eyes Michael Keaton to Play Villain Role

It’s all very much happening — following Sony and Marvel’s reveal of the official title and logo for Spider-Man: Homecoming, casting has already begun, as the studios are eyeing Michael Keaton for a villainous role in the web-slinger’s new reboot. Although Vulture was recently rumored to be a villain in the film, it’s unclear if this is the role Keaton would play, though it would keep the Birdman star in familiar, um, territory.

Variety reports that Keaton is in talks to play a villain Spider-Man: Homecoming, though no other details are available at this time. Keaton could be playing Vulture or perhaps another villain — it hasn’t yet been confirmed if the reboot will feature more than one baddie, similar to previous Spider-Man films. One of the chief complaints about those movies (Spider-Man 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man films, specifically) was that they each featured a villain too many, so perhaps the new reboot would do well to be a bit more conservative when it comes to bad guys.

Best known for indie thriller Cop Car, Jon Watts is directing Spider-Man: Homecoming from a screenplay by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (Vacation), with all involved promising to keep Peter Parker in high school for a bit longer than previous Spidey outings. Marvel’s Kevin Feige has likened the tone to that of a classic John Hughes film —coupled with early reports of Tom Holland’s great performance in Captain America: Civil War and that vibrant official logo, it definitely seems like they’re going for a lighter, more fun Spider-Man adventure. Marisa Tomei will play Aunt May in the film, with Zendaya attached in a mystery role.

Keaton won a Golden Globe award for his performance in Birdman, which satirized his role as Batman and conveyed a rather cynical view of superhero franchises, echoing director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s own feelings about the wave of comic book movies — which makes Keaton’s potential casting in the Spider-Man reboot particularly interesting.